About Idylease Tree Farm

Idylease Tree Farm Management

About Richard Zampella

Richard Zampella is the steward of Idylease in the Highlands region of New Jersey, where he manages the land, the structure, and the working elements that define the property over time.

Idylease includes a historically designated building, Idylease Tree Farm, and Idylease Helistop—each representing a different form of use, preservation, and responsibility. Together, they reflect a continuum: the care of the land, the maintenance of a historic structure, and the civic contribution of the landing field.

The tree farm continues a tradition of conservation established by his father, Dr. Arthur Zampella, who maintained the land as a certified tree farm and was named Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year (1991).

When Zampella assumed stewardship of Idylease, the tree farm designation was at risk after years of neglect. He was given a limited time to restore it.

Working alone through late autumn and into winter, he completed the required forestry work—removing select timber and restoring the balance of the woodland—bringing the land back into compliance. The designation remained.

The work reaffirmed a commitment established decades earlier.

The Idylease Helistop (FAA Identifier: 1NJ6), licensed through the New Jersey Division of Aeronautics, has served the Township of West Milford for over fifty years as a life-flight access point. Established in 1972 by Dr. Arthur Zampella, the field was created to provide a reliable means of emergency evacuation. An emergency response plan exists in coordination with local hospitals and the Federal Aviation Administration. The helistop has remained in continuous use for over 50 years. Idylease has provided the landing field without interruption, supporting medical transport and public safety for the surrounding community. The field remains an active part of the property—an example of how Idylease continues to serve a purpose beyond preservation alone.

Zampella’s professional work has spanned film, television, and hospitality. His documentaries have aired nationally on American Public Television and internationally on PBS America and Sky TV, including Cooper & Hemingway: The True Gen, a New York Times Critics’ Pick, as well as projects for Warner Home Video and PBS. Earlier in his career, he worked in and managed historic environments including the Rainbow Room, The Plaza Hotel, and Essex House. Across these roles, the work has remained consistent: an attention to place, continuity, and the preservation of experience over time.

At Idylease, conservation is not understood as a single act, but as an ongoing process. The forest is managed, the structure is maintained, and the property continues to serve a purpose.

In that sense, the work is not ownership, but stewardship—an effort to take care of what remains, and to carry it forward.

The work continues.